Four people in Southern California were arrested and accused of insurance fraud after claiming their cars were damaged by a bear, which was actually a person in a bear costume. The group submitted claims for damage to multiple cars, including a Rolls-Royce Ghost, a Mercedes G63 AMG, and a Mercedes E350, all with video evidence showing someone in a bear suit. The scam cost insurance companies over $141,000, and the bear costume used in the fraud was found in the suspects’ home.
The suspects, Ruben Tamrazian, Ararat Chirkinian, Vahe Muradkhanyan, and Alfiya Zuckerman, all from Glendale and Valley Village, were arrested on charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy. The cases are currently under review by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office for a decision on charges.
Investigators determined that it was clearly a person in a bear suit based on the videos and the opinions of a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While there are bears in the San Bernardino Mountains, where the alleged incidents took place, they do not wear costumes, as the only wild bears in the area are black bears. Grizzly bears, which are native to California, were hunted to extinction by the 1920s.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com
